Restoule Provincial Park

(This was written when we had no internet, to be posted with my camping tag.)

June 28, 2013

Wow, Restoule Provincial Park sure is a looong way off the beaten track! We’d turn and find ANOTHER sign saying it was a few more km down the road. VERY winding road, with lots of hills. We’d tried to be not far from Huntsville, but ended up pretty close to North Bay, since everything got booked up pretty quickly for the long weekend.

It’s fairly nice here, but the beach is not something I’d go for swimming in–very small, but mucky & weedy. Nice medium-sized lake though, would be great for a canoe (which they do have for rent here). It’s not going to be hot this weekend anyway. Looks like there might be some nice trails, and some that say they’re “easy” and can take baby strollers–which means Rej & Sam, lol! Did hear a loon in the distance!

On one of the many turns on the way here, we went by a big (though not huge) white church with steeple, etc., in the middle of a grassy field. They had a large sign out front with their website (if only we there was internet out here!)–Corner Gospel Church. Also advertised was fireworks on July 1st. [They were no big deal, but not bad…. for a good cause–a mission in Tanzania.]

Since it’s supposed to be cool and rainy tomorrow (only a high of 20!) we’re going to go for a drive and see what time the services are, at that church. Part of the attraction though, is the chip wagon we also drove by. :S

It’s very quiet here, that’s for sure. There was not. a. sound. this morning. When we came outside we finally heard a few birds, but where are they all? Why do we seem to have a lot more wildlife in Toronto? And I don’t mean the human kind.

June 29, 2013

It’s been quite cool, and the bugs are bad, but this 3-wick bug pail seems to work well. In fact the smell of the citronella was so strong at first, that it bothered me.

Making fair headway on my Perspectives notes… feeling a strongish urge to pray more for missions. Kind of goes with the book I’m reading (one more time), This Present Darkness.

Hopefully will soon finish getting the last of the large folders of pictures ready for iPhoto!

July 1st, 2013

Enjoyed church at The Corner Gospel Church yesterday–place was packed (it’s cottage-country here), the minister (who has grandkids but looks like the youth pastor) did everything (except the praise music, led by the youth), and he also preached a pretty good sermon. Looks like they’ve simply been making their way through the Bible, now on Judges 17 & 18… sermon was about a “veneer” of faith vs being real/in your heart. Then I read in my fiction book (This Present Darkness) about that veneer (saying all the right things), but also that a large congregation, all busily making notes on the pastor’s sermon, doesn’t necessarily mean the one doing the right thing.

That book is more about the enemy without, while the sermon was about the enemy within… Wait, no the book includes both; because the enemy without doesn’t just mean Satan, who can be be either. The enemy without means the attack of others–either on yourself, or those you should be helping.

Yeah, that guy in Judges 17 was saying “the Lord” in every sentence, but building an idol out of silver… “to the Lord”… !! The explanation is that “everyone did what was right in their own eyes”–we cannot trust our senses. The summary of his sermon was in 4 points at the end: 1) about the religious veneer (and even your heritage is not a guarantee of protection); 2) the spread of contagion–sin–in these chapters: one man sins and it spreads to others, then lasted down the ages; 3) misinterpretation of success–it is not determined by everything going well; 4) the necessity of The King (which “there was no king in Israel”, why they “each did was right in their own eyes”)–we die/serve King Jesus, in order to really live.

Our last day here, another cool morning! But the sun is shining… hopefully won’t get too hot before we go on that “baby-stroller” walk, that Rej is willing to do. Then tonight we’re going to the fireworks at the church; we’ll call Sam to make sure everything is OK for picking him up on the way to the next campground.